The present invention relates to a voice message system (VM System) and more particularly to a message storage security system for use in the VM System.
In a voice message system (VM System), a calling party wishing to leave a message for another designated user, calls in to the VM System. The incoming voice message is digitized, stored on a disk, later retrieved by the designated user and converted back to voice. Most VM Systems enable several callers to transact with the system at the same time. When this happens, added measures are desirable to assure that message security is maintained.
For example, when a designated user A signs on the system and tries to receive his messages, it is very important that that user A get his and only his messages. The integrity of message security is vulnerable if, for example, the VM System system should fail in the processing of updating pointers on the disk which identify a particular user's message as his. The messages typically are stored on disk memory, and directory entries are placed in a location assigned specifically to that user. The directory entries are stored both in random access memory (RAM) and on disk memory. Vulnerability occurs if, in the process of writing the directory to the disk memory, a system failure occurs.